Tag: Content 45

Any entrepreneur or executive must be ready to understand psychological principles that help you understand your target audience or buyer’s approach.

As a perfect example, digital commerce platform Business 2 Community stated how people are motivated by loss of opportunity or latter regrets when making purchase decisions; whether B2C or B2B.

Subsequently, creativity often prompts a different approach in problem solving and when such approaches are used in the business atmosphere, the results can steer you pleasantly surprised or be a valuable marketing lesson.

Here are 3 simple reasons every business must understand creativity and consumer psychology for effective marketing:

1) Emotional appeal creates a desirable lifestyle

A middle-aged man may purchase gym membership not just because he wants to improve his health or immune system, despite knowing the fact that it may reduce risk of heart diseases; but also because he wants to look good and enjoy a rejuvenated life.

A guy may buy a car not just to travel with great tech features or fuel efficiency, but because it makes him feel cool and good in social status.

Generally, when making a purchase decision; people get influenced by many factors within online and offline MarComms. People do not always purchase products or services to fulfil just real needs, but also to satisfy their emotional desires. This also happenes in the B2B world too.

They want more time and control, self-confidence, increased comfort, or what they perceive as a better life. They want to stay updated, influential or to better express themselves. Of course, people are influenced by facts and figures, but this information is often outweighed by emotional aspects within one’s lifestyle.

By using this psychology principle in your marketing; whether online or offline, you are simply meeting your consumers’ ultimate needs from actual features to the psychological and emotional quality attracting them to your business.

If you understand at what point of psychological discomfort they’re struggling, your product or service can fit and speak directly to their struggles or needs.

2) The benefit of Reciprocity

As introduced in Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: “The Psychology of Persuasion”, the idea of reciprocity simply means “if you see someone doing something nice for you, in return you will naturally want to do something for them too”.

There are multiple ways to use the reciprocity principle in your marketing. The modern way with digital is by your content marketing by anything from offering a special eBook, a branded sweatshirt to even offering your expertise on a difficult subject matter.

Even sending a thoughtful, hand-written note will do in establishing reciprocity. You need to provide some value to your buyer before you ask something in return.

3) Credibility evokes psychological adaptation and consumer trust

Do you want to know the best ways to influence your customer’s behaviour to act?

Here are two possible reasons why people won’t purchase your product.

No interest in your offering

Unsure about the benefits and value your product or service delivers

In marketing, it’s important to recognise that people always buy products for their own reasons, not yours. A lot of consumers are concerned about possible risks of fraud or because the service offered online is not good enough or they will never receive it.

Credibility is important; especially online where the entry for sellers can be low if they’re unfamiliar with modern marketing practice or experience higher offline returns better for their business. By using this psychology principle, you will be able to fully understand the psyche of the average customer’s buying approach. This will help you engage the ideal target audience effectively.

Just imagine how effective your marketing can be by already knowing your customer’s psychological profile?

The key takeaway here is to continually test, analyse your results and optimise them. This knowledge provides small tweaks when creating a huge difference.

Comment below with how your perceive creativity and psychology working hand-in-hand for your marketing activity – our agency team will love to hear from you.

It’s 2020 and the world’s taken a massive hit economically by the outbreak of COVID-19 – what does that mean for your business?

Two methods how businesses and international organisations have responded up till now:

Drastic financial cuts within company’s overall budget by furloughing staff, making redundancies, and minimising operational costs with uncertainty of how to recover or going out of business.

2. Creatively strategised innovative tactics and strategy on being advantageous to exploit business, marketing and entrepreneurial opportunities in economic downturn.

Now both our agency team and you reading this know very well how to respond within these times depends on your industry, expertise, company size and scope of operations.

However, even if your business or brand was a less-than-5-year start-up or an established player in the game; we must leverage and optimise what’s NOT on quarantine or lockdown – OUR digital marketing.

Whether influencers are dormant these days, offline marketing vendors have hung up their Closed till further notice signs, or other promotional stakeholders are quarantined themselves; your power lies within the internet for your digital marketing strategy.

Take time to observe what’s going on in people’s livelihoods and concerns, the wider society, global affairs and the aftermath of how people are responding to COVID-19; to even open holes within your competitors’ activities before formulating a plan of action.

You may not be trading and generating consistent revenue and cash flow in abundance, yet we’ll share with you some creative tactics to take advantage and control of any global crisis dilemma through digital marketing.

Let’s get started:

Plan out 3-4 crisis objectives on digital

As brands and organisations operate around a specified number of business goals (usually 3-4), so must you as a founder, CEO, director or buzzing entrepreneur anticipate economic crash and downturn periods by setting crisis objectives for digital.

How many businesses whether B2B or B2C are still glued to those strategies even in crisis?

When setting out crisis objectives for digital, visualise them as the guidepoints awakening a new direction within your product or service being beneficial and reassuring for distressed or panicky consumers within the economy. Your ideal customer or client express more frugality within their buyer behaviour, however this doesn’t mean they’ve stopped purchasing anything.

To inspire single parents through weekly lifestyle hacks when raising children through tough times

By reviewing each of these objectives, you can position your product or service within contextual value on digital cleverly; thereby tapping into the human psyche and emotions of potential customers and clients by reassurance and upliftment through your nation’s economic hardship.

The first objective is a perfect opportunity to harness a video on YouTube or a motivational image meme on Instagram or Facebook, whereas objective #2 evidently sets up marketers for an interactive email campaign where you can gather feedback from how you can help your e-commerce customers directly during COVID-19 or any other international crisis.

With objective #3, this can leverage your blog portfolio where you’ll be addressing consumers with potential financial or relationship challenges about how uplifting themselves as a role model towards their offspring in an inevitable yet temporary spin of life.

It’s you that knows how your brand or business operates to survive and capitalise, yet drafted crisis objectives stashed to one side WILL come in handy for maximum effect and profitable remembrance.

Select 3 marketing channels with human touch

During hard times of crisis either building or breaking mankind, every online user wants reassurance, satisfaction and clarity of their next move in life.

As the traditional economy faces a temporary pause, your business’ digital economy must start playing its course to adapt to change. The crisis eras are not like back in late 1930s in the US or early 2000s worldwide; we have more marketing channels and digital communication at our dispense as marketers and businesses.

Analyse your current audience and which online marketing channels they are most responsive to as a human being. These are the touchpoints you optimise in alignment with a tweaked digital strategy to accustom any crisis conditions, before speaking back humanely to boost one’s morale.

Our team have analysed different marketing channels within our past and up-to-date work within diverse sectors, holding strong beliefs towards social media, email and content marketing as the 3 main digital channels presenting human touch during any economic state.

The main goal of social media is to interact and engage with its users by digital nature, allowing people to voice out their opinions liberally without hindrance. Businesses during any crisis period must position themselves as ‘social initiators‘ of positivity and realism within affected nations and their industry, whilst monitoring their key consumers’ conversations and optimise content to engage and deliver reminiscent results that people, instituitions and other organisations will respect and value at post- crisis period.

However, email and content marketing share one major thing in common for people with uncertainty of a brighter tomorrow; direct communication targeting a direct audience of consumers.

When optimised correctly during any global crisis era, email campaigns embedded with relevant content that inspires or educates can drive great engagement, CTRs and awareness to even newer subscribers if cross-channelled across adaptive landing pages for your business offering.

Whatever the widespread crisis we’re facing in life, never overlook marketing channels with potential to adapt your tone of voice as we’re all humans with digital initiative.

Despite everyday news during any crisis inundating us with negativity, this is your opportunity within your business online to be the ‘positive news reporter‘.

Let’s be real; the news be it BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and so on is almost 3 quarters negative as this is what’s considered interesting and newsworthy to monetise from within the media & broadcasting industry. As any marketing leader or business pro of today, observe the flaws and resolve with a solution in your industry and other interconnected ones too.

If you hear news about unemployment rates rising = draft a blog about developing high income skills and building a pro’s profile.

News report about crime rates & incidents increasing = Record a video about keeping productive and focusing on personal development (even industry-related if possible) for IGTV, Facebook or YouTube.

News report about companies going into administration = Create a display campaign on Google offering educational courses for start-ups to established brands on crisis & financial management and survival know-how.

People may not be converting into customers or clientele from such content creation overnight, yet you’re delivering something different back to your community with the millions of eyes turning to the internet for pain alleviation, predictions and solutions during an economic crisis.

Evaluate performance and adjust accordingly for Future crisis

With crises happening every 10 years or so, it’s worthwhile as a business owner, founder or director to consider assessing your marketing performance and activity after performing the aforementioned and adjust for any future crisis.

As the world’s economic activity is unpredictable with uncontrollable affairs of life such as health pandemic outbreaks and environmental aftermath from industrious organisations using and exploiting natural resources; our industries are interlinked within how people make their livelihood.

If your crisis marketing campaigns may resort in laying off employees or downsizing, consider keeping your digital presence for profitability alive by hiring a few influencers with prominent impact; or even getting in touch with a creative marketing agency as secondary manpower.

By evaluating your digital activity and marketing operations in the marketplace, you fortify your business’ positioning to become recession-proof whilst also conserving your budgetary power and expenses.

Crisis may affect everybody at that particular time, yet don’t allow crisis to affect your bread-and-butter to the table as a marketer and active business.

This matches up your customised audiences to identify and explore greater reach of new customers who may be attracted to your brand’s facebook page, fashion culture, and in the long-run; perhaps a lifelong customer of your apparel products.

Either way, you gradually kill 2 birds with one FB stone – brand awareness and subsequent lifetime value from targeting your most valued audiences to increase your fashion influence locally, nationally and by their lifestyle habits for clothing.

Of course, your market research still counts before duplicating your fashion brand’s net worth on Facebook!

2) à la mode Brand pages

Surely you’ve heard or seen the Money Clothing in lifestyle and urban culture?

Look how vibrant and cool their header image is when its facebook visitors clickthrough to the Money brand page.

The à la mode is a French term stating ‘in fashion’ or ‘hot in the season.’ Indisputably one of the most crucial ways any fashion brand at ANY stage can optimise a facebook strategy from.

Although at early days as a start-up fashion entrepreneur, every fashion brand must capture the attention of their targeted fans and customers through stylish visuals. Even though, millennials and some Gen X’ers are your desired target market and flock to Instagram to view fashion ideas; leaving behind Facebook is a regrettable mistake if you don’t apply a chic ambiance to your brand page.

Your fashion business on Facebook must discover its ‘à la mode’ through picture and video content, its lighting, creative edits and most importantly; apply a dab of brand culture that relates to your final consumer for a premium, relevant aura.

In time with the correct visual planning and advertising, your brand page should drive more views and website traffic for the best targeted customers and fans.

Steps closer to conversion isn’t it?

No matter what stage of the fashion sector you’re at, your apparel on Facebook is worth something so make it WORTH something.

3) Geo-ads with great CTA for conversion

Who doesn’t like a cheeky discount from a new fashion brand?

Especially when caught obliviously across Facebook’s news feed, as the offer happens to be the RIGHT clothing item for the RIGHT occasion at the RIGHT time you’re seeking.

Although from the consumer’s perspective, rarely anyone purchases from a fashion brand first time exposed to it; however sometimes there’s always an exception at times.

With fashion being an all-rounder, recyclable B2C industry, any start-up fashion entrepreneurs must put on the mentality of their ideal customer to create a long-term relationship with their brand.

You know next to no one goes cyber window-shopping on Facebook intentionally.

So ask yourself when managing your paid ads ‘What tactic can I implement over time with Facebook to make a grand entrance for my target audience?’

Worldwide, customers love discounts with the endless expenses and bills they have to pay for their living!

You’ll get many impressions from geo-targeting your potential customers, but the CTRs and eventual conversion will follow.

4) Builds brand CRM with your fans, enquirers and customers

Most in-season, fashion brands with Facebook optimise a human approach to their online marketing strategy through chatbots.

Whether if you’ve heard of chatbots or not, they can be very useful in crowning a majestic value towards your incoming page visitors.

Starting out as a fashion brand whatever your apparel style needs a personal touch, as the potential and retained fans visit you to impress them with what you got.

Besides that digital apparel showcase across the page’s shop tab, start off by greeting and provide a list of anticipated answers to FAQs any fashion brand or line may be asked.

This includes:

We deliver within 1-2 weeks nationwide

International orders arrive within 2-3 weeks

Sizes range from ……..

Yes *name*, our special offer ends ……

Although some may criticise these as automated, commercial messages, the feedback received from enquiring fans ignites your brand’s flair to start providing fashion tips, advice or scenario-based answers that all customers will experience with fashion.

Build a handy relationship with your audience and your fashion CRM skills improve over time on Facebook.

5) Live-stream your seasonal promos on FB stories

From audience targeting and ads, FB page make-overs and social CRM, every start-up fashion entrepreneur wishes to engage more instantaneously for higher brand awareness and positive web traffic.

That’s the time to surprise and start going live!

One of the greatest mistakes when live-streaming your fashion brand is to solely promote a Winter sale or Summer special.

People will catch you out as using Facebook live as another sales channel.

Definitely not the approach to a favourable end!

The greatest live-streaming content for fashion is scenario, update or activity-based for any annual season or event you’re actively promoting your clothing range at.

Your loyal Facebook fans and customers are just as curious and excited to check out your latest activities here as much as an Instagram or Snapchat story.

If you’re still doubting, even global multimedia and tech publisher Engadget UK observed over 300 million people worldwide view FB stories daily.

Now imagine which person is your potential customer?

6) Global impression potential

One thing to remember in case you keep forgetting – Facebook has approximately a 2.3 billion monthly, active user base worldwide.

How many budding eyes is that for your clothing campaigns then?

Let’s say a quarter of the world’s population.

Whether you feel you’re in a hyper-competitive apparel market and not getting attention, you mustn’t worry as the ambitious, start-up fashion brand.

By marketing and strategising your products on Facebook consistently, you create the potential for ANYONE to discover your clothing business online.

Whether it’s fitness wear, casual tops, luxury dresses to even bow ties or vintage clothing, someone on Facebook will express interest in scaling your fashion brand as a customer, potential supplier or even a committed employee.

Facebook may be saturated by baby boomers and gen X’ers now, yet with the right advertising exposure, messaging and lifestyle relevance, they may just be a lucrative prospect for your fashion start-up.

Your start-up brand may possibly have both an adults and kids range; especially if you’re selling footwear, summer tops or winter clothing.

If so, create customer and fan convenience on social by enhancing and segmenting your clothing brand to your ideal target customers.

Despite it being a bit more footwork with more Facebook page management, perhaps delegating its social media monitoring, content creation and CRM to a marketing agency may be worthwhile your time, expertise and budget.

Guess Caesar and Napolean’s saying ‘Divide and conquer’ really does hold value as a fashion, start-up.

Let Facebook reign and live again

In conclusion, Facebook still holds exponential social media power for any start-up, fashion entrepreneur.

However, sticking only to the familiar doesn’t unlock untapped potential in digital.

The world may seem gravitated towards the glitz and sparkle of Instagram and Snapchat, yet visuals and live-streaming on these social networks may not be ideal for your fashion brand’s digital strategy.

Desiring to keep up with a millennial or Gen Z’ers trends is normal when seeking to create awareness and potential conversion. Yet if your clothing targets a 55-year-old man with an aristocratic lifestyle, political background and experiential approach to personal and career development; Facebook’s a highly suited platform they may spend time on during their free time on a family get-away.

What’s your thoughts on devising a Facebook strategy for start-up, fashion brands over Instagram or Snapchat?

Is this something you need further guidance with?

Drop us a comment or alternatively, email us at contact@content-45.com

It’s that time of year again. Though it feels like people have only just taken their pumpkins down, naturally, the Christmas adverts are here.

Since the release of John Lewis’s famous Christmas advert ‘The Long Wait’ back in 2011, Christmas adverts have become the official start of the festive season. There is a frenzy of anticipation each year, and the adverts are now a crucial touchpoint for brands to connect with an audience of Christmas fans who are ready to shop.

The Impact of Social Media

Social media has become a vital part of an advert’s success with millions of views and thousands of mentions spanning across all platforms.

Newsfeeds become cluttered with Christmas related posts and brands know exactly how to tap into these conversations. Before adverts are released, brands have started to release teasers on social media.

This creates a huge buzz and generates instant engagement as people eagerly await the launch of the advert. Before this year’s John Lewis advert was released, a five-second trailer accompanied by the hashtag #UnderTheBed started to circulate on Twitter. Brands have also started to create specific hashtags for their adverts, such as Sainsbury’s #everybitofchristmas. By doing so, they can easily monitor the success of their adverts across social media and gain feedback on what people think. Leading Christmas advert brands are trying new social media tactics this year.

Facebook launched a filter a year ago where you can turn yourself into Moz. Last year John Lewis teamed up with Snapchat allowing users to turn themselves into ‘Buster the Boxer’. This allowed the brand to reach a whole new audience, contributing to the overall success of the advert.

Recognize Your Christmas Audience

Where did you first see the 2018 Christmas advert?

Was it on TV during the Gogglebox ad break on 10 November along with 3 million other UK viewers?

Was it on YouTube or facebook? Did you stumble across it by accident? Or did you Google it, having been sucked into the Christmas advert hype?

The way that people consume Christmas adverts is changing, and we wonder how this affects the creative process that goes into them. With brands spending millions of pounds and many months on their Christmas ad campaigns, are they missing a trick by still thinking of them as “TV” adverts?

Does the customer’s mindset change when they go from a passive armchair viewer to an active consumer of the advert, searching for a particular brand’s Christmas content? Can brands capitalise on this?

And if so, how?

To date, over 26 million people have viewed last year’s John Lewis advert on YouTube and according to Social Bakers; this represents only 40% of online views. Their 2016 social media analytics revealed that 90% of all interactions and 60% of all online views of Christmas TV adverts were via Facebook. These are huge viewing numbers from a more pre-engaged audience than passive TV viewers. Surely brands would be mad not to use this to their advantage.

Top 5 Christmas adverts for 2018

Argos

The star of Argos’ ad is an annoying little creature which the brand is calling a ‘fool’, which looks a bit like a smaller Dobby, the house elf from Harry Potter. However, unlike Dobby, the fool is rather unpleasant as it embarks upon a mission to ruin Christmas preparations for families however it can. But, never fear; the fool is rounded up with a load of other captured fools by an Argos Fast Track delivery driver who saves the day, would you believe it? It’s funny at times, but the ‘fool’ gives us the heebie-jeebies.

Lidl

Similarly to last year, Lidl has returned with three short festive ads, each with the same theme of ‘Upgrade your Christmas’. The message is clear: these holiday revellers should have just updated their Christmas a ‘Lidl bit’ – via the supermarket’s new gin and party food rather than a giant Christmas tree, 16-piece orchestra or imported snow from the Arctic. We like the theme and some of it’s a laugh, but would one longer ad have been better?

Boots

The feelings evoked in the brand’s 2018 advert will resonate with mothers and daughters all over as we see a teenage girl and her Mum struggle to just get each other: From Mum disapproving of her daughter’s make-up to the girl sneakily using Mum’s perfume ensuring it actually runs out, it’s all very relatable. Their changeable relationship continues until the daughter is shook to see her mum singing Christmas carols in a choir and that’s where she finally understands her Mum a little more as she realises performing is her passion. We were surprised to see the song take inspiration from Robbie Williams ‘She’s the One’, but it’s kind of cute!

Asda

Differing to last year’s tale of a girl and her granddad who stumble upon a Christmas factory, it’s a much noisier 2018 offering. Christmas well and truly kicks off with a bang in the ad, when Santa launches a flaming Christmas pudding into the air out of cannon. Next up, there are Santa Clauses on motorbikes, driving yetis, a giant polar bear and plenty of Asda George-wearing Christmas revellers. It’s a fun advert and gets bonus points for using one of the best, and most underrated, festive songs ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ by Darlene Love.

Tesco

The supermarket’s first Christmas ad offering centres around family, similar to last year, and more specifically around the classic festive debates: Traditional turkey or goose? Go out for a Christmas Day walk or not moving from the sofa all day? Sprouts or nah? Set to an orchestral version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’, we enjoy the family references we’re all too familiar with – and the music and all that food is making us hungry.

Any ideas on planning an engaging 2019 digital ad for your brand or business?

Drop us an email at contact@content-45.com as we look forward to helping you achieve creative success and results in seasonal execution.

Bet you’ve heard these comments related to your business or brand from a friend or acquaintance, right?

Live-streaming and video nowadays are marketed worldwide as the fun channels of how people engage, update an audience and keep tech-trendy in our digitally enterprising era.

This may grab the attention span of your fans or targeted prospects, but is it the best way to convert?

Do not EVER let another person’s opinion conflict with the way you market yourself online.

Even if you’re frustrated from no profitable results, that haphazard marketing slip may not be right for the conversion you’re seeking.

To get business development for sales and conversion stronger; what ever your industry in 2019, the top rule to master is stop being a volatile marketer.

No one cares as much as you do about your business and its progress.

That person who suggested this isn’t with you consistently or deep in thoughts at night on how to grow and capitalise your career.

Start strategising and apply your selection of channels with wisdom from awareness to filtering your most interested customers and clients with the sweet close-convert-and-hook method.

Here’s some common 2018 marketing setbacks that can strengthen you for a better 2019 approach:

Not every social media channel is appropriate

How many social media channels do you have?

Whether you agree or disagree; a social media platform must be managed with purpose towards your brand’s digital marketing.

There must always be a final goal long-term to what you’re trying to achieve.

So what is it then??

You may have found yourself in 2018 adding on multiple platforms to your arsenal of marketing communications, ALL thanks to a misguided suggestion or observation of what’s trending and how your friends are engaging.

Even us as a digital agency made the same mistake earlier this year with Instagram.

From our experiences, we learnt, realised and summarised that without a thoroughly organised plan to why you’re on a social channel, your content and efforts published prove ephemeral without impact to your business goals.

Likes, views and black-hat comments don’t earn your living!

As the modern entrepreneur or marketer, enjoy social media features like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook stories as a consumer; but apply a different mindset when it’s your business.

If it means cutting off some social channels completely from your online presence, so be it if it’s not adding towards your final conversion goals.

Social media in business is not only for digital showcase and glamour; it’s a means to a profitable end for your 2019.

Blogging wasn’t your forte at the time

Did you know avoiding blogging is avoiding your web visibility’s ranking and searchability?

Some of you where this is going – yup, white-hat SEO!

As a goal-driven, hungry founder or marketer, you may have dodged the blogging cycle in 2018; however, it won’t do you better justice in 2019.

Being an enthusiastic writer of your industry and business not only gifts you with the skill of niche copywriting; it contributes to one or two marketing goals online which is brand awareness and engagement.

But where’s the value of blogging if I’m not converting?

The value lies within building and developing your website or blog channel’s content marketing for gradual ratings by Google.

Over time, a targeted prospect or potential customer’s search query may stumble across your relevant blog article and into your sales pipeline.

Not appreciating how search engine marketing works through blogging is a major disfavour for your business or brand.

Reconsider how powerful blogging is for your own industry marketing style in the new year and you’re revamping your 2019 marketing mindset.

Make great use of big data and marketing analytics for your campaigns in 2019 goes a long way towards how ANY enterprise or brand views digital campaigns.

Anyone can make noise online, but make noise with meaning and returns!

A static mind towards paid online advertising & budgeting

2018 may have been the year you started using paid advertising online like Google AdWords.

Reflect over the experience for a minute.

Did you set a high ad budget hoping to receive greater conversion?

Were you frustrated by poor results for yourself or on behalf of someone else’s advertising afterwards?

If so, maybe you weren’t entirely informed of the step-by-step process of trial and error, evaluate and improve your campaign performance within Google advertising.

The truth is that PPC advertising newbies perceive this channel as either a ‘genie’s wish’ for luxury search engine conversion, or are too much of reluctant ‘fraidy-cats’ to invest their money online.

Some marketers or online ad investors view this digital channel by saying either:

‘It takes money to make money so why not invest big?’

OR

‘What’s the point of online advertising if I hear it doesn’t work?’

Now that’s a static mindset you may have developed, thereby guiding your decisions with emotion over rational consistency.

The safest option to revamping your approach to online advertising in 2019 is to start a small budget within your means first, before pinpointing the positives of running your campaign.

Without a doubt, there will be negative performance for the first few campaigns ran; however pinpoint the positive factors such as higher impressions and clicks. This guides much more logical thinking towards the ad creative (e.g. title, keywords, copy, etc.) you’ve drafted the campaign with for future 2019 ads and favourable results over time.

So what’s next for your 2019 digital?

Overall, there was a fair amount of info ground covered regarding your 2019 marketing strategy as a business or upcoming brand.

Yet, we want you to not just read this and forget; but rather read this and ACT!

The most recommended advice is to analyse the key topics and its issues we discussed and implement within your digital marketing for the new year.

Every year, new mistakes and challenges within marketing practices arise; yet revising your previous mistakes and discomforts to your improvement reveals persistency and dedication to excelling your business and marketing goals through digital.

Drop us a comment in 2019 on how the application went from this article to fruition and results in your business.

Have you ever wondered why your videos don’t get as many views or aren’t as popular as movies or adverts of famous producers or directors?

Well, at the heart of every great director is his or her own style. One of my favourite examples is Steven Spielberg (yes, I am biased). There are plenty of articles written about his style yet adverts and films are slightly different animals.

If you are considering shooting your own videos, our first suggestion is to look at the ads and see the differences. Mainly, pay attention to angles, close-ups and scenery shots, before understanding why the director decided to use them and why are they in specific sequence.

Now listen to the audio type, soundtracks and how it sets the mood. More importantly how throughout a video the sound can change dramatically. Then, pay attention to the effects and how they set the mood (i.e. darker shots make you worried or sad, brighter and lighter make you energetic and happy). Also, when it comes to adverts, use of text is very popular, pay attention to that too. After you examined everything, individually piece it all together.

Now, I would like to share some examples that I believe are greats of what I mentioned. Next week, I will go into a bit more detail of how to plan your shoots and what will you need to start.

One of the first and perhaps memorable campaigns (First video was what got me into being more fit).

Another Nike Advert (more recent) but in a very different style done in Russia.

Effectiveness of all marketing communications can be broken down with 60-20-20 rule:

60% – Offer

20% – Channels

20% – Creativity

From the start, let’s say the offer (e.g. message, content etc.) is the most important part, and although creativity is only 20%; you must never underestimate this part. The biggest problem with it however is making sure creativity is channelled in a right way. In order to do so, one must clearly understand the following rules.

Never forget the audience

If I could have a penny for every time, I remind our clients, colleagues and friends, I wouldn’t need to work ever again. Key to this is relatively simple, do your research, segment well and you are on the way to success.

Let’s start with research, this will largely depend on your business itself. If you’re a local bakery. you wouldn’t research the entire world but would also need to be familiar with the trends in your industry.

As an example, you might start advertising low calorie options or starting to offer smaller sets of delicious pastries. This is an example of psychographic research, where you see that people are more generally aware of their health. So, your offer is pastry sets (60%) and the creativity should be health aware message (20%).

2. Don’t get carried away

Today, there is a variety of design & creativity tools at your fingertips, and it is very important to remember less is more.

When reaching this step of actual design, it is important to remember the last step. After all, your audience picks the channels for you and not the other way around. If we continue with our bakery example, most likely your budget is not going to be big so most likely the owner will opt for social media; which is especially great when you want to target local.

The biggest problem with it is what we call ‘deadscroll’ (when a person just mindlessly scrolls through the feed until something exceptional catches your eye. First thing that springs to mind is ‘Let’s do a video or an animation‘ because everyone saw the stats that videos deliver better results than images.

However, this is where a little problem creeps in and it is that those videos delivering better results for brands already have established followers interested in the content. So, when deciding on the media type for creativity, remember eye-catching and interesting and not what everyone else wants you to do.

3. Interaction, interaction & interaction

After the message is published, you will need to plan and provide options for what you want people to do and how will they interact with the message.

Again, our local bakery should provide above mentioned info but it also might show its location for new customers or to remind existing ones about its location. This, by no means is the only aspect available, there are also web links, shopping, reviews etc. Those options should be chosen carefully (less is more) depending on the objective in mind.

Increase sales online gives them a website presence, given by a local map. Also for local businesses partnerships are key. Our bakery could make connections with a local gym to advertise healthy treats.

4. Measurements

Last but not least, make sure you keep track of everything you do. In today’s online world, you can measure nearly everything on minute basis. There are plenty of free tools out there to help you do it. Facebook ad measurements, Pixel and Google Analytics are examples of a few to name. Remember collecting results is not only to keep your campaign on track, but also for future research.

In conclusion, make sure you keep to the rules and you will be on track for success!

Regardless of the misconceptions of email marketing being traditional and downright overused, this marketing channel still matters for online campaigns and outreach.

Hope you’re still reading B2B and B2C marketers?

Yes, email is a popular method of keeping in touch with your fans, potentials and retained subscribers in business.

No one ever disputes that.

However, the art of creating great email with impact relies on your ability to understand your audience, tone of voice and embracing the passion of written language.

For all buzzing marketers, entrepreneurs or C-Level executives; here are some helpful tips on copywriting for winning email:

Too much text and you’ve lost them

Email copywriting isn’t easy for excited marketers.

One of the greatest mistakes is bombarding your final recipient with a gazillion rows of text and font sizes.

Whether it’s your latest blog release, seasonal offer or company update, too much text drains out the attention span to 0 in this aesthetically visual world of today.

Although you wish to keep the reader sufficiently informed, every great email marketer must master breaking down and summarising text for the best retention possible.

People are receiving and reading emails endlessly everyday.

Off smartphones when getting out of bed, on cramped public transport, and even off computer screens just 10-15 mins before lunch breaks.

‘What makes your email any different?’

‘How can you make your final message shorter and succinct?’

Ask yourself these 2 questions and ensure the text quantity is enjoyable for a happier, retained subscriber.

Understand your audience and tone of voice

Who’s your fan or customer?

Do you consider their wants, needs and aspirations?

How do you address them?

Once you’ve answered these questions according to your knowledge, you’ve cracked only 50% of planning successful email copywriting.

The other 50% is consistent execution of this amongst your targeted email database.

If you’re in B2B, you’ll be dealing with a specific number of professional individuals subscribed or contacting you for 3 reasons:

Industry news

Client liaison

Ongoing business development.

For this reason, keep the email copy straightforward, contextually goal-orientated and mutually beneficial for greater engagement.

For B2C companies and brands, your email copy and tone-of-voice should be friendly, product or service-focused within a scenario, and spark an emotional response upon leading towards your call-to-action.

This way, both clients, customers and fans acknowledge you’ve considered them first when crafting your email text, and with favourable results and patience; they’ll be engaged with positive expectations of your email outreach.

Always proof-read and contextualise

Like any other important piece of literary work you’ve written – proof-reading into context is vital for any winning email copy.

Treat every word and punctuation usage with vigilance as you would stepping across a rushing river on a vertically-led, dispersed rock path.

Every email campaign’s copy for your marketing outreach must be organised and follow a story-like rhythm.

Why is that?

Your final reader needs seduction from your email language so much that it becomes an enjoyable, attractive flow from start to proposed action.

Moreover, your language represents your business’ care into email – make the copy their pleasure to read and act!

Never forget your final goal

Whether you’re a non-for-profit to a profit-based business, your email has a task to achieve.

Some may be the best copywriters in town and spark unforgettable chemistry everyone marvels over with words, writing style and great context.

Yet, if you don’t make your end-goal clear and authoritative during the email’s latter stages; the efforts will have gone all to waste.

People always ask even before reading ‘What’s the catch or purpose of this?’

Even your loyal customers and clients too.

Subscriptions, downloads, social media follows, click for shop discounts – these are all key examples of common call-to-actions assisting your final goal.

Make your copy worth their eye-squinting, brain-processing and time for a favourable, higher chance of marketing conversion.

Try these simple yet crucial rules for 2 weeks and comment back below on any progress you’ve noticed for email success.

You probably can with Instagram Stories hot on the scene for millennials, Gen X’ers, celebrities and social media influencers now.

SnapChat was once one of first live-streaming apps appearing on social media, where users turned their smartphones into narcissistic devices that broadcasted viral stories to friends and fans about their everyday life.

With convenience to access, instantaneous nature and creative simplicity, the social network became an electrifying pass-time for youngsters frivolously sending each other pictures and videos (called ‘Snaps’) that expired after 24 hours.

The popular live-streamer allowed its users to become ‘miniature creatives’ from editing their content with fun stickers and post-produced image and geo-filters (e.g. the notorious stick-your-tongue-out, puppy filter loved by females snappers).

Insta users and businesses with engaging content and high fan bases enjoy the best of social media marketing. The visual conversation comes from buzzing fan commentary and live video-broadcasts posted across this mobile channel, thereby influencing users which their content resonates with the most.

Think of it this way – the simpler and catchy your captions, higher your content’s impressions, likes and RELEVANT hashtag optimisation on Instagram all creates a digital combustion on this social media network.

SnapChat doesn’t allow you to combine all of these social media tactics permanently now does it?

So long as you’re popular for the right reasons within your industry as a brand, role model or marketer, anybody can master the visual creativity and artistic impact Instagram can have for your digital marketing strategy.

Do you think SnapChat still has a chance for the future of social media marketing?

Has it finally met its match or scheming something revolutionary to shock us all with?

When you hear the word ‘Metrics’, how many of us start grumbling that data is ACTUALLY involved on Social Media?

It IS social media isn’t it?

Whatever aspect of social relationships in life, be it online or offline is guaranteed to grant you information about your message, communication style and how others respond.

The same applies to social media metrics as a digital marketer.

Data from our online communication & fans provides us with deeper insights when enhancing or remodifying our marketing voice, be it from Facebook likes & commentary or a Twitter tag or retweet.

Every post counts and presents an impression. Why overlook that as part of your online reputation management?

Here are 6 reasons WHY social media metrics are important:

1) Growth & Affinity

Think of it this way – ‘Without a great number of fans expressing interest in you, your reach and impact is limited!’

How you remain active with consistent relevancy on social media plays a vital part with your marketing efforts to grow.

Part of social media success as a business owner or marketer is the ability to nurture and grow a mutually-minded, online community of fans & followers who LOVE and APPRECIATE your content.

Whether you’re a start-up brand, public figure or institution; the truth is that you desire to build genuine relationships on social media by keeping your posts very targeted and niche; thereby maximising your chances of enjoying this metric’s value.

You connect with REAL human beings beyond the screen so put yourself in their position and interests, asking yourself ‘Why should I follow you?

2) Posts’ Performance

Every social media or digital marketer must be vigilant with the way their posts perform amongst their online community.

Despite how metrics such as Likes and reactions do not significantly contribute to overall marketing and business goals, they DO show what content is attractive to your followers; helping plan your future content strategy by the topics and ideas chosen for social media scheduling.

You don’t want to be a paranoid marketing guy checking their smartphone every 20 minutes wondering ………….

3) Online Notoriety

Mentions or tagging on social media can go down in two ways – positive or negative.

From this social metric, it’s very crucial to master the skill of social monitoring and listening when tracking WHAT people say about you online; as well as HOW do you respond to it?

No one wants negative comments and mentions spread about them on social (especially viral platforms like Twitter & Instagram), as their message outreach goes WAY beyond the realms of your follower base.

My advice is to maintain a clean reputation both online and offline and you’ll be in the safe zone from any social media vultures.

4) Community Feedback

Social media marketing is a two-way relationship so take those commentary streams on posts very seriously as a business, marketer or public figure.

If a fan is willing enough to comment on one of your social posts, you have engaged and caught their attention enough for their own views to be shared too.

Ensure their comments are good or in approval of your business, causes and beliefs as ‘you are what you post’. This can be great for analysing data and a better understanding of your fans’ motivations to engage with you.

Not only does it spark off conversations between you and your audience, but buzzing topics on social media spread like wild fire as your community may even share your posts amongst their friends, family and fans too.

Which brings us on to our next point.

5) Message Dissemination

What social media or digital marketer doesn’t love it when their posts get shared?

That’s what you aim for across the social media scope.

To have your online fans share your message onto their communities presents how valuable your content is perceived amongst them as an individual mentally, emotionally and psychologically.

On platforms like Twitter, this is known as a ‘retweet’ (majority of you may already know this), as your message dissemination is increased for whatever topic or update your post is about.

As a business, one of your marketing goals on social media will be achieved from this – brand awareness.

Marketers and business owners aim for more shares when targeting their ideal audiences as a vital social metric within their online marketing strategy.

6) Fan Motivation

You don’t spend all this time sourcing, drafting, editing and scheduling your social media posts for nothing now.

We want signs of call-to-actions.

Us digital marketers and business owners spend great effort, time and investment out of our marketing budgets to implement a full-proof social media strategy. We expect our hard work and mental labour of targeting the right fans paying off with higher clickthrough rates (CTRs).

By acquiring greater CTRs from our posts, your post’s impression overall has motivated your fans to act upon based on whether it’s to subscribe to a newsletter, purchase a product or service, find out more information or contact you for further details.

This leads to increased chances of conversion rising which is how we can grow our marketing communications’ impact from social media optimisation.

Did I miss out any more reasons?

What kind of content do you post in your industry and does it meet your expected social marketing metrics?

Comment below with your thoughts and experiences as we look forward to hearing from you.